


Never Change Mind

by Pippin



Series: Patater Week 2017 [3]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Patater Week, Secret Relationship, Stanley Cup Finals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-22 18:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9621209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pippin/pseuds/Pippin
Summary: “Damn, secret relationships suck,” Kent said with a frown.





	

Kent wanted to tell the entire world about his boyfriend.  His amazing, talented, loving, wonderful boyfriend.  But he knew that wasn’t possible.  He was out to his team (that had happened after an unfortunate incident in a club that Swoops still refused to talk about) and Alexei was out to his (he had come out under much better circumstances, as a show of support for Jack), but no one knew that they were dating.

Well.  Swoops knew that Kent had a boyfriend, but, no matter how much he wheedled, he couldn’t get a name (he just knew it wasn’t the guy from the club).  Alexei said that Jack also knew that he had a boyfriend, but Jack, being Jack, was respecting his teammate’s privacy and not asking.

“It’s great, being out and all, but I want to be able to brag about you,” Kent said one day, dragging his fingertips lightly over Alexei’s face on his laptop screen as they talked over Skype.  “I mean, I know that it can’t happen.  We’re expected to be rivals on—and off—the ice.  But god, it’s hard.”

Alexei nodded.  “Zimmboni talks about tiny baker always.  Bitty this, Bitty that.  I want to say my Kenny, he does great things too.  My Kenny, the most pretty and most talented and best at hockey.  But I cannot.”

“Damn, secret relationships suck,” Kent said with a frown.  “And the only reason that I can’t tell my team is because you play for the Falcs.  I mean, I’m fine—my boys will chirp me to hell and back, but they do that anyway.  But there’s the whole Falcs-Aces thing and I don’t want to bring that down on you.”

“I know, Kenny,” Alexei replied.

* * *

They had left it at that, although it didn’t get any easier.  And then as they got into post season things got even harder.  Both the Aces and the Falconers were looking good for a Cup run and Alexei was playing incredibly—god, Kent wanted to express how proud he was of his boyfriend.  He had accidentally made friends with Bitty somewhere along the reconciling-with-Jack road, so the two of them shared increasingly excited texts during the Falconers game (when the Aces weren’t playing, at least) shouting about their respective boyfriends.   But as nice as that was, it wasn’t quite the same as being able to talk to Swoops or anyone else on the Aces.

And then, finally, they were at the final playoffs.  The Falconers and the Aces in direct competition for the Cup.

“I’m thinking maybe coming out,” Alexei said as they Skyped a few days before the first game between the two clubs.  “Jack, too, after end of Cup.  He wants ask tiny baker to marry him.  I’m just done waiting.”

Kent bit his lip.  “I’ll come out, too.  If you’re coming out, I want them to know that you’re spoken for, that you’re mine.  That I’m yours.  We can come out together.”

Alexei’s face lit up with a grin and that was that.  They were coming out after one or the other of them won the Cup.  It was real.

* * *

Kent shifted his weight from foot to foot, rocking slightly on the blades of his skates, as he waited for their introduction.  They were playing game seven for the Cup on home ice and sure, that was stressful, but it wasn’t the only thing on Kent’s mind.

“You okay, Parser?” Swoops asked, punching Kent’s shoulder lightly.  “I know that this game is it, that no matter what happens someone’s going home with the Cup, but we’ve won twice before, and last time was in game seven, and you’ve never been this nervous.”

“It’s not the game.  It’s—gah,” Kent said.  “It’s that after this I’m coming out.  Publically.  I talked to management and PR and they’ve okayed it.  It’ll be me and my boyfriend presenting ourselves to the world.”

Swoops’ eyebrows shot up.  “You’re coming out?  And your boyfriend is here?  We finally gonna get to meet the man who makes our captain into a lovesick fool?”

“Oh shut up,” Kent got out before he heard the beginning of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face followed by “here come your Las Vegas Aces!”

As they circled through warmups, Kent caught Alexei’s eye and winked.  His boyfriend grinned quickly, then went back to his own warmups. 

Kent had to focus.  This was the Cup; he had to be the best.  He couldn’t be anything else, not until the game was over.

* * *

Everything seemed to be going perfectly for the Aces.  This was the way they should have been playing all along—if they had, they would have won the Cup in four; the series wouldn’t have dragged out to seven games.

When the final horn sounded and the Aces poured onto the ice in a shouting, hyper-excited mass, Kent couldn’t meet Tater’s eyes.  He knew that only one of them was going to get to hoist the Cup, but he still didn’t want to see the sadness and pain associated with coming so close just to lose.  It made even hoisting the Cup—for the third time; more times than anyone had every thought that the Las Vegas Aces would ever win—bittersweet.

“You gonna hold this thing with your boyfriend?” Swoops asked as Kent handed the Cup off to him.

“Haha, no.  I can’t,” Kent said, and Swoops looked confused.  He didn’t question it, though, until the next person had the Cup and he returned to Kent.

“What the hell do you mean, you can’t?” he demanded.  “You just being selfish or what?”

Kent glanced across the ice.  Most of the Falconers were gone, although Jack and Alexei still lingered, probably waiting for Kent.

As soon as Alexei saw that Kent was looking over at him, he started skating over to him.

“Not being selfish.  It’s only superstitions,” Kent said and skated away from a still very confused Swoops, meeting Alexei at center ice.

“I’m sorry you lost,” he said, looking up at his boyfriend.  “How do you want to come out?  Interviews?”

Alexei shook his head.  “You ready?”

Kent furrowed his brow.  “Of course I’m ready.  Are you changing your mind?  Is that why you’re shaking your head?”

“No, not at all.”  Alexei looked closely at Kent, gaze firm.  “I’m never change mind about you.”

Before Kent could ask any more questions, Alexei wrapped his arms firmly around Kent and leaned down, pressing his lips to Kent’s.

Kent didn’t react for a moment, not believing what Alexei was doing, then he kissed him back.  It was perfect, so very them.

“Hey, Tater,” Jack called after a moment, skating up behind them.  “Coach is looking for you.”  He glanced at Kent, still held tightly in Alexei’s grasp.  “Congratulations, Kenny.”

As Alexei and Jack headed off the ice, Kent went to regain his team.

“What the _fuck_?” Swoops asked, staring at Kent.  “I thought your boyfriend was here, but you’re out there at center ice making out with fucking _Mashkov_?  What’s your boyfriend going to say?”

Kent shrugged.  “I think my boyfriend is going to say ‘I’m never change mind about you’ and kiss me on the ice after I win the Cup.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this turned into more of a coming out fic than a secret relationship one, but whatever.


End file.
